The Structure of an Argument

CLAIM: We, the affirmative team/the proposition firmly believe that violent video games should
be banned

REASON because they contain obscene content, cause mental and physical health problems,
poor academic performance, poor social relationships, and lead to aggression or violence.

WARRANT

If young people derive pleasure from random, sociopathic killing in video games, they can

transfer this pleasure to real life, thus leading to more aggression or violence.

BACKING

• Testimony from psychologists

• Evidence that violent video games desensitize people to violence

• Analogy to military training in which video games are used to “make killing a reflex action”

• Evidence that the distinction between fantasy and reality becomes especially blurred for unstable
young people

CONDITIONS OF REBUTTAL

Attacking the warrant and backing

• Perhaps kids are fully capable of distinguishing fantasy from reality.

• Perhaps the games are just fun with no transference to real life.

• Perhaps the games are substantial 

Examples

It’s important to stay focused! Don’t try to argue an overly broad topic in your speech, or you’re
going to feel confused and unsure about your direction and purpose.
 Don’t Say:

“Eating fast food is bad and should be avoided.”

This statement is too general and would be nearly impossible for you to defend. It leaves a lot of
big questions to answer. Is all fast food bad? Why is it bad? Who should avoid it? Why should
anyone care?

Do Say:

“Teenagers in the UAE should eliminate the regular consumption of fast food because a fast food
diet leads to preventable and expensive health issues, such as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.”

In this example, I’ve narrowed my argument to the health consequences related to a diet of fast
food. I’ve also chosen to focus on teenagers in the UAE rather than everyone in the universe.

Don’t Say:

“Secondhand smoke is bad and can cause heart disease and cancer; therefore, smoking should be
outlawed in public places, but outlawing smoking is unfair to smokers so maybe non-smokers can
just hold their breath or wear masks around smokers instead.”

A wishy-washy statement like this will make your listeners scratch his head in puzzlement. Are
you for smoking laws or against them? Pick a side, and stick with it! Then stick up for it.

Do Say:

“Secondhand smoke is just as harmful as smoking because it leads to a higher prevalence of cancer
and heart disease; therefore, smoking in any public place should be banned.”